9
How to Uncover Your Creative Talent by
Using the “Equal Odds Rule”
Paul Erdos was a strange man. He lived out of two suitcases, never learned how
to cook his own meals, worked up to 19 hours per day, took amphetamines
daily and washed them down with caffeine, and gave away nearly all of the
money that he earned. [3]
Erdos was also the most prolific mathematician of the 20th century. He wrote
or co-authored over 1,500 mathematical articles during his career and
partnered with over 500 different collaborators. As you would expect, his
contributions to mathematics were significant.
Erdos solved a variety of difficult problems. He worked out a proof for the
prime number theorem. He led the development of Ramsey theory. He
discovered the proof for a difficult mathematical riddle known as Bertrand’s
postulate. Long story short, Erdos was good. He worked his tail off and
advanced the field of mathematics because of it.
And yet, do you know what became of the vast majority of his 1,500 articles and
papers?
Nothing. They are long gone. Forgotten. Tucked away in the archives of an old
research journal or filed into a box at the bottom of some math lover’s closet.
And that is why the story of Paul Erdos is perhaps the best example of what is
known as the Equal Odds Rule.